


Whumptober 2020 - 27 - Princess Lily

by Celticgal1041



Series: Whumptober 2020 [27]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Drowning, Flooding, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Whumptober 2020, tsunami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:00:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27234622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celticgal1041/pseuds/Celticgal1041
Summary: Warnings had been broadcast continuously during the past hour for people to vacate the beaches, but the friends knew there would always be someone who ignored them.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949548
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 2020 - 27 - Princess Lily

“Hard to believe an earthquake hundreds of miles away can cause massive waves here,” Rick commented as he waited for the show to start.

“All the energy from an earthquake has to go somewhere,” Magnum explained, having learned some basics about tsunamis as part of his SEAL training. “And it’s really not an issue until those waves meet up with land.”

“I’ve never experienced either, until now,” Higgins commented. “Although there was that one time in Manilla where we caught the tail end of a hurricane. I swear I was soaked through for days due to the torrential rain.”

They were in TC’s helicopter, the pilot having volunteered to be part of the informal network of people sending information about the coming tsunami back to Hawaii’s National Weather Service, who in turn would coordinate with emergency services. While the extreme event was expected to bring some relatively high waves, the predication was that they would peter out fairly quickly once they encountered the coastline, not penetrating more than five hundred metres inland.

Warnings had been broadcast continuously during the past hour for people to vacate the beaches and move to higher ground if located near the coast, but the friends knew there would always be someone who either ignored the warnings or hadn’t received them. That’s where having a bird’s eye view could be of vital importance, their ability to spot someone in trouble potentially the difference between life or death for those caught up in the powerful waves.

“Hard to believe what’s coming given how calm the ocean looks,” TC remarked. It was true; the water didn’t look any different than normal, which was one of the reasons tsunamis were so deadly. Their destructive nature wasn’t readily apparent until the energy of the displaced water met the shallow coastline, at which point relatively small waves would grow exponentially to overrun the shore and anything else in their path.

Higgins’ gaze was fixed on the deserted stretch of beaches below them, and she marvelled at their emptiness. “I don’t recall ever seeing the beaches here this empty, not even when it rains.”

“I just hope there aren’t any yahoos up on the North Shore crazy enough to try and ride one of these waves onto land,” Rick remarked.

“TC, can you move farther inland for a second,” Magnum asked, one hand outstretched towards Rick who automatically placed the binoculars he’d been holding into the investigator’s hand.

Putting the glasses to his eyes, Thomas directed his gaze back to the small speck of movement that had caught his attention a moment earlier. As TC moved in the requested direction, he was able to get a better look and his heart fell into his stomach. “Another fifty feet, TC,” he ordered, his mind already crafting a plan for what would happen next.

“Is that a child?” Rick asked as he caught sight of what Magnum had spotted.

“Where are her parents?” Higgins added rhetorically as she scanned the area for adults.

Handing the binoculars off to Juliet, Thomas said, “Hand me the harness, Rick, and make sure the other end is tied off tightly.”

“Thomas,” Calvin stretched the man’s name out as a warning. “You aren’t actually thinking of going down there.” Even as he said the words, he already knew the answer.

Apparently, Magnum knew that was the case, because he didn’t bother with a reply, all of them knowing they couldn’t live with themselves if they didn’t try to pull the girl below them out of harm’s way. “Status?” Thomas asked.

“Starting to see some faster moving swells headed our way,” TC replied, understanding the former SEAL’s question was meant for him. “Weather service thinks it’s two minutes from landfall.”

“That’s not enough time,” Rick muttered, even as he knew the short timeframe would make no difference to the investigator’s resolve.

“It has to be,” Magnum replied as he prepared to descend from the helicopter. “Keep her as steady as possible,” he instructed TC before removing his headset. With a nod to Higgins and Rick, Thomas slipped over the side, making a quick but controlled descent to the ground. The rope he’d been attached to wasn’t long enough to allow him the freedom of movement needed on the ground, so he unclipped himself and began to move towards the young girl’s form.

“Hello,” he greeted the child, one hand upraised in a wave and a smile on his face. He could easily see the trepidation in the girl’s features, likely fearful of the stranger approaching her.

When she looked ready to bolt, he stopped and dropped to one knee. “My name’s Thomas; what’s yours?”

She bit her lip and clutched more tightly to the doll wrapped in her arms as she decided whether or not to answer. The whole time, Magnum’s brain silently counted the seconds, hyperaware that he was rapidly running out of time. “Lily,” she finally replied with a small voice.

“That’s a beautiful name,” Thomas replied. “Lily, where are your parents?”

The child’s face began to scrunch with the pending onset of tears as she said, “I got mad at mommy when she said we couldn’t stay at the beach.”

“Does that mean you’re out here by yourself?” Magnum pressed. At the girl’s timid nod, he forced himself to smile more brightly. “It’s okay, Lily. Your mommy was right because there’s some big waves coming our way.”

The girl’s expression turned determined as she said, “I float real good with my water wings. Daddy always says so.”

Magnum couldn’t help but grin. “I’m sure you do, but these waves can get bigger than a house so it’s not really safe to be out here today.”

Lily’s bottom lip began to tremble as fear once more took over. “Mommy’s gonna be mad at me for running away.”

“No, Lily, she won’t,” Thomas rushed to assure her. “She’ll be happy you’re safe, and I’ll help explain things to her if you think it’ll help.”

“Really?” the child’s face brightened.

“Really,” Magnum confirmed. “Now, how would you like to watch the big waves from up there?” he asked, pointing to TC’s bright helicopter, which hovered far enough away so they weren’t affected by the rotor wash and its noisy engines.

The girl again seemed to hesitate, and the anxiety built in Thomas’ chest, his internal clock warning him they were out of time. “Come on,” he encouraged Lily, extending a hand to her, and hoping she’d take it. Above the sound of the helicopter, a new noise reached Magnum’s ears. It was as loud as a freight train and inexorably hurtling in their direction. 

Realizing they were out of time, Thomas stood and ran towards the small child, scooping her up in his arms as she let out a squeak of surprise. Rather than turning back towards the helicopter, he continued to run, knowing they’d never make it back to the dangling line in time to avoid the wall of water rushing their way. Instead, he headed for a small building that normally rented watercraft to tourists, hoping he could reach the back of it before being swept away in the first set of waves to make landfall.

They almost made it, Thomas able to see the corner of the building when he was struck from behind and swept away. The impact was like being hit by a car, and it pushed the air from his lungs in a reflexive exhale that had him gasping for oxygen a moment later. That was his next mistake.

The water plucked them from the ground and dragged them along, immediately swamping them and pulling them under. When Magnum tried to refill his lungs, he found nothing but water. He inhaled a mouthful before he was able to stop himself, and then fought against his body’s urge to cough it back out.

They tumbled endlessly, propelled by the water’s fury until it slowly lost momentum, the head of the wave slowly shrinking as it began on its return journey back to the ocean. As the water level dropped, Magnum got himself and his charge above it, still caught in its wake but at least finally able to breathe. He instinctively clung to the child in his arms as he hacked, the water he’d inhaled coming out in great choking gasps as his body tried to suck in some air.

He was sure when asked later that they’d only managed to surface due to luck rather than any skill on his part, and was even more grateful when his befuddled brain recognized that he could feel the ground beneath his feet and stand. Looking down at Lily, he was relieved to see she was still breathing, although her little chest had spasmed just as hard as his to rid itself of the water she’d been forced to inhale.

“Are you alright?” he rasped. Wide, scared eyes met his as she offered the smallest of nods, bringing a smile to Magnum’s face despite their dire situation. “Good, let’s keep it that way.”

Quickly checking their surroundings, he spotted a nearby building, and aimed towards it, slogging through the waist-deep water and debris that floated all around them. It was a miracle they’d survived being caught in the first wave, and he knew there would be more, with the successive ones gaining speed and height. By the time those arrived, he hoped they’d both be well out of harm’s way.

Continuing to cough sporadically, he pushed to reach the building he’d spotted, arriving as the sound of another wave’s approach reached his ears. “Lily, I’m going to lift you up, and I need you to climb onto the roof,” he told her, not even waiting for her to respond before hoisting her up. Nimbly, the child crawled from his arms to his shoulders, clearly having done something similar in the past given how readily she took to the task.

“Can you reach the edge and pull when I push?” he asked, stabilizing her with a hold on her ankles.

“We’ve got her; you can let go,” a new voice called, surprising Thomas. Moments later, the girl had been pulled from his grasp and he looked up into the face of a sunburnt young man.

“Jump, and we’ll pull you up,” the man called to him, a woman of similar age appearing next to him.

Magnum readied himself and jumped upwards, the water’s buoyancy helping him get slightly more lift than he would otherwise. The couple grabbed his hands just as the next wave arrived, and Thomas suddenly found himself an unwilling participant in a tug of war as the water tried to pull his lower body in the opposite direction.

He gritted his teeth and held on, grateful when the couple’s grip held until the water had started receding. With a rush, he found himself pressed against the building, the force of it making movement almost impossible.

“Can you climb?” the young man asked, the exertion of his efforts clear in his strained features.

Lacking the energy to speak, Magnum gave a shaky nod, and began trying to push upwards against the wall with his feet. He hadn’t managed more than a couple inches when something hard and unforgiving violently impacted with his back. The force of the blow had his feet slipping downwards and his right hand nearly came free from the young woman’s hold.

“Try again,” the man bit out as his girlfriend adjusted her grip so the investigator wouldn’t fall. Another thirty seconds of effort on all their parts, and Thomas was hauled on top of the roof, collapsing immediately as his chest heaved with exertion.

“Thanks,” he eventually managed, the word slipping out before another round of weak coughs.

“That was awesome,” the young man beamed, while his girlfriend looked less than impressed.

“Dylan thought it’d be a fun adventure to watch the tsunami roll in,” she explained with a roll of her eyes.

“Lana thought it’d be fun, too,” her boyfriend retorted, earning him a punch in the arm from the young woman.

Rolling onto his side in preparation to stand, Thomas replied, “Tsunamis definitely aren’t fun, and we need to get out of here before the bigger waves show up.” Lana threw her a boyfriend an “I told you so” look, earning her a shrug in reply.

Pushing himself to his feet, Magnum swayed for a moment as the change in altitude dimmed his vision. Dylan steadied him with a hand on one arm, Thomas giving him a nod of thanks before moving to where Lily was standing. “Are you hurt anywhere?” She shook her head no, and he took her word for it since he couldn’t see any obvious signs of injury. “You ready for that helicopter ride now?” Her face lit up with a bright smile as she nodded.

Magnum looked up, unsurprised to see TC hovering nearby and clearly waiting for his signal. Turning his attention to the harness he wore, he shifted slightly to address Lana. “If I put this on, my friends can pull you up into that helicopter. Do you think you can hold onto Lily at the same time?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” the young lady gamely replied.

Thomas finished removing the harness, flinching when he had to bend over at the sharp ache across his lower back. Crouching down in front of Lana, he laid the harness at her feet and instructed her to step into it. A minute later, it was sitting in the right position, the straps tightly fastened to hold it in place. He raised an arm into the air, knowing TC would understand, and moments later the helicopter was above them with the line hanging down.

“Just lean into the harness and let it take your weight,” Magnum explained as he connected it to the dangling rope. The two men watched as the girls were hoisted up and pulled inside, the helicopter heading away from them seconds later.

“Where are they going?” Dylan asked as he watched them fly away.

“There’s not much room in there so TC will drop them off and come back for us.” True to his word, Calvin was back within fifteen minutes, and the process with the harness and rope was repeated twice more. Rick grinned at Thomas as he settled into a seat, shaking his head at the proffered headset since he knew it would be a short flight. Sure enough, they were landing again within minutes in a large parking area that had been cordoned off for use by emergency services.

Dylan bounded from his seat as soon as it was safe to do so. Magnum’s gaze followed the young man as he made his way to where his girlfriend was waiting with Juliet and Lana. “Is she really okay?” the investigator tiredly asked, grimacing as his breathing hitched with another wet cough.

“Yeah, paramedics will take her to the hospital just in case and they’ve already located her parents, so they’ll meet her there,” Rick explained. “She refuses to go until you go with her though,” he added with a grin.

“Juliet can go with her,” Magnum began, only to be interrupted by TC from the pilot’s seat.

“Did you not hear what Orville just said?” Ignoring the dirty look from Rick, Calvin went on, “She wants the hero who rescued her to go with her.”

“You sure this isn’t just some sneaky way to get me checked out, too?” Thomas countered.

“I suppose you may as well while you’re there,” Rick replied agreeably, already making motions to get the other man moving.

“Fine,” Magnum sighed, wincing when the action pulled another set of coughs from his chest.

Thomas gingerly stepped out of the helicopter, gasping in pain when the dull throb across his back flared hotly. “You okay, Tommy,” Rick asked, familiar with his friend’s propensity to downplay injuries.

“Yeah,” Magnum replied as he moved a hand to his back in search of the sore spot.

Rick’s gaze followed the movement, and he shifted his position to get a better look at the investigator’s back. “Whoa,” he ordered as he grabbed for Magnum’s hand, preventing it from landing. “Trust me, you don’t want to do that.”

“Something hit me while I was in the water,” Thomas explained as he craned his head around to try and have a look.

“Whatever it was opened you up,” Wright replied as he lifted his friend’s soggy shirt upwards to see the full extent of the damage. “It’s not too bad, but you’ll probably need some stiches, and antibiotics are a foregone conclusion with all the stuff in that water.”

“’K,” Magnum breathed out, too tired after his impromptu swim to argue. They made their way towards the trio awaiting their arrival, Lily’s face brightening as soon as she’d spotted her saviour’s approach.

“Thomas!” she squealed in delight as she ran forward to meet him.

Unable to resist, he crouched down and caught her when she jumped into his arms, clamping his jaw tightly shut against the sound of pain that threatened as he took her weight. He grinned as he carried her to the awaiting ambulance, the young girl babbling excitedly about her adventure. A bark of laughter burst from his chest a moment later when she pronounced him her knight in shining armour.

“At your service, Princess Lily,” he replied, earning him another delighted squeal. Robin might have made him the White Knight but being dubbed Lily’s knight was the greatest honor he could think of.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to AZGirl for proofing; all remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> This section of the story was based on the day 27 prompt: OK, who had natural disasters on their 2020 bingo card? earthquake / extreme weather / power outage
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts if you're so inclined!


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